Asus Releases Tiny GeForce RTX 3060 For SFF Systems

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Rise of the Phoenix

Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060
Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060 (Image credit: Asus)

Good things can come in small packages too. Asus has shrunk Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3060 into a compact graphics card, the Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060, that can practically fit into any system.

The Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060 (PH-RTX3060-12G) is based on GeForce RTX 3060, meaning you still get the same 3,584 CUDA cores and 12GB of 15 Gbps GDDR6 memory. Don't let the little guy fool you though, it comes with a tiny factory overclock. In Gaming Mode, the Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060 boosts to 1,777 MHz, which is the reference boost clock speed on the GeForce RTX 3060. In OC Mode, however, the graphics card hits 1,807 MHz, a small 1.7% increase.

Measuring 17.7 x 12.8 x 5.1 cm and adhering to a 2.55-slot design the Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060 is a short and stocky card that features a black exterior with zero RGB lighting, which many consumers may appreciate. A single axial-tech fan takes care of the cooling. According to Asus, the axial-tech design helps improve airflow and dispersion. The fan employs dual ball bearings that can provide up to twice the lifespan compared to typical sleeve bearing.

The Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060 only requires a single 8-pin PCIe power connector to function correctly. Asus recommends a power supply with a minimum capacity of 650W. Display outputs consist of one HDMI 2.1 port and three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060 can accommodate up to four displays simultaneously.

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Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060
Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060(Image credit: Asus)

Asus builds the Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060 with its Auto-Extreme technology, which is an automated manufacturing process. Each graphics card goes through an arduous 144-hour gaming stress test. Despite being as short that it is, the Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060 comes equipped with an aluminum backplate to reinforce the PCB as well as serving as eye candy. The Ampere-based graphics card also utilizes a stainless steel bracket that won't corrode easily.

Asus hasn't provided the pricing or availability for the Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060.

Zhiye Liu
Zhiye Liu
RAM Reviewer and News Editor

Zhiye Liu is a Freelance News Writer at Tom’s Hardware US. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

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14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Co BIY
    Good things can be imagined in small packages ...
    Reply
  • King_V
    (cue in Jack Nicholson voice) - "It's freakin' adorable!"
    Reply
  • hotaru.hino
    What I wonder is if anyone will ever make a single slot video card again.
    Reply
  • Eximo
    With GPU dies of this size, probably not. RTX3060 has the same core count as a 1080Ti, plus RT and Tensor cores...Even if they shrink the process node and reduce power consumption, to make the next GPU to be 'faster' will take even more cores.

    Also the concept of a single slot card is kind of taken over by integrated graphics. If you want that level of power you should be looking at laptops or NUCs for the space savings.

    Galax was known to make some oddball single slot cards, they had a GTX1070? Inno3D as well.

    Could probably do a true single slot GTX1650, though I don't recall seeing one. They have single slot brackets, but the cooler is usually 1.5-2 slots.
    Reply
  • hotaru.hino
    Eximo said:
    With GPU dies of this size, probably not. RTX3060 has the same core count as a 1080Ti, plus RT and Tensor cores...Even if they shrink the process node and reduce power consumption, to make the next GPU to be 'faster' will take even more cores.

    Also the concept of a single slot card is kind of taken over by integrated graphics. If you want that level of power you should be looking at laptops or NUCs for the space savings.
    And yet NVIDIA sells the Quadro RTX 4000, or basically an RTX 2070, in a single slot configuration. And while it doesn't perform as good as the RTX 2070 itself, I've no reason to believe the single slot concept is dead.

    But otherwise sure, I'll agree that the demand for such cards isn't really there in the consumer market.
    Reply
  • Eximo
    That is an interesting point, never seen one in the wild though. And it comes with the problem of being full length which leaves it in an even weirder spot. Most chassis that support full length cards, going to have two slots.

    It would make cramming them into a rack more effective, but a lot of rack GPUs don't come with fans.

    Always liked the look of them though. One of the reasons I bought a reference 980 (Even though I eventually water cooled it). I hated the angled garbage they added for the 10 series and was more pleased with the 20 series. 30 series reference is also good, but not a fan of the metal color choice.
    Reply
  • digitalgriffin
    hotaru.hino said:
    And yet NVIDIA sells the Quadro RTX 4000, or basically an RTX 2070, in a single slot configuration. And while it doesn't perform as good as the RTX 2070 itself, I've no reason to believe the single slot concept is dead.

    But otherwise sure, I'll agree that the demand for such cards isn't really there in the consumer market.

    All quadro's like laptop cards are built to lower clocks for stability and lower power consumption.

    Unfortunately power density it making cooling chips a much harder affair.
    Reply
  • hotaru.hino
    digitalgriffin said:
    All quadro's like laptop cards are built to lower clocks for stability and lower power consumption.

    Unfortunately power density it making cooling chips a much harder affair.
    I'm not expecting something like a single slot 3080 or even a 3070. And heck I wasn't expecting anything higher than 125W to begin with since the last video cards that came in a single slot configuration were about that high. But considering NVIDIA is selling a 160W video card in a single cooler configuration raises the bar at least.

    Besides that, I don't believe video card makers slap on hefty coolers on lower end cards because they actually need that much cooling. They only do it because it's cheaper to design a single configuration, take advantage of economies of scale, and slap it on everything.
    Reply
  • bigdragon
    I expect this Asus card to be double Nvidia's MSRP and completely sold out, permanently.

    hotaru.hino said:
    What I wonder is if anyone will ever make a single slot video card again.
    Most modern computers seem to be designed assuming the GPU takes up 2 slots. However, your comment does make me wonder about half-height/slim/low-profile GPUs. I'm kind of surprised those aren't more common.
    Reply
  • Eximo
    GT1030, GTX1650, some of the RX550 models all come in half height configurations. Most are 1.5 slot coolers though. Which they might as well be dual slot. It fits most SFF cases anyway, which is all that matters.
    Reply